The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-12-24
THE OLD KICKER.


as he got on the street ear, looking
pale his eyes bloodshot, and his step
weak, 81 did not tell YOU all. when ]
mentioned that ! had given my note
for guaranteed mining stock. That
was only drop in the bucket !
have not only invested all the money i
had in iron stocks, but | have sold
mortgages which held, and bought
stocks with the money"
well, you are bigger ID fool
than any of us gave you credit for, "
said the grocery drummer, who al
ways speaks what he thinks. You
ALWAYS claimed to be smarter than
any body. What has been the matterP
Have they played iron stock three
card monte on your
That is just it,, said the kicker in
n husky voice, as he pulled a warm
scarf mp around his neck, after cough
ing little. There never has been n
worse case of confidence game, than
has been played on me. Not only my
own money is gone, but my wife was
induced to sell some property that she
owned in her own right, and she ir-
vested it in mining stock. She is
under doctors care. and il is an
even thing whether she becomes in
sane or not. Besides, | had money in
my hands as administrator of al
estate. This money belonged to a
widow and some orphans. | thought
it was my duty to make all the money
| could for them, so ! bought mining
stock at two dollars share, on the un-
Outstanding that it would be worth
from eight to ten dollars u share be-
fore the year was up. | was told so
by a man in whom ! had confidence.
Ii the stock had gone up could have
m AIDE the widow and orphans rich.
| IL is not worth a cent, the widow and
orphans are poverty stricken, and the
chances are that | shall go TO the
penitentary for embezzlement. But
shall not go alone"
What do you think of taking with
you,n asked the insurance man. as it
| going to be free for alp
'If there is justice in this state, y
said the old kicker, ii shall take some
of the men who got me into the scrape.
| They have lied 10 me, periured them
selves, and obtained my money under
false prctences. Why, they had maps
and pictures of mines, buildings, rail
roads. cars loaded with ore, steamships,
| iron mills, everything. | bought stock
| in one mine, for the estate ! was adj
ministrator Of, which | was told had
the finest machinery ever put in mine,
and there was railroad track, tram
ways, and everything, and ore was
loaded right on the cars from the
NINE, and before the ore was cold it
was in the hold of a steamship, on the
! way to market, and the money for the
ore on the way back before | could say
Jack Robinson. | couldn't get stock
enough in that mine. WANTED trunk
full of it, After investing all | could
raise, | pawned my watch and dla-
monds and bought more stock, and
traded my horses for more. Well.
since / saw you last week, have been
up to the mine What do you think
| | iound?'
20. you found tho machinery, and
the railroads. and millions of tons of
ore, " said the drummer. But they
| told you the ore was not saleable.
The market was overstocked, WASH
il?n
"Ovcrstalked nothing" said the old
kicker, with Indignation. There was
hole in the ground, and Norwegian
was hauling up bucket, with wind
| lass, and there was an Italian down in
tie hole, filling the bucket with mud. "
Wasn't there hundred tons of
ore on the Dump" asked the floor
walker who had invested in some m IL
ne stock, and had it now. And wcrn t
they running drifts each way to strike
the main BODY of orep That's what l
heard, when bought my stock. "
Nav" said the old kicker. "There
was chunk of ore about as big as q
mans head, that had been brought
| from another mine. rs a specimen, and
the Norwegian had some soft hematite.
| or some such sculch. on his boots,
! which he got on several months ago.
while working in a mine. But around
| the alleged nine that | had stock in
there was nothing but mud. 1t was
several miles from railroad, and
the whole outfit. including the windlass.
and the bucket, the Norwegian, the
| Italian and myself, could have been
| bought for five dollars. When | look
at my beautiful stock in that mine,
and the pictures of the machinery.
buildings, smok stack. railroads, and
| then think of that hole in the mud,
and the dirty Norwegian, the fore
man" who wouldn't know ore unless
| somebody told him what il was, and
think of the widow and orphans mat
have to go TO the poor house. and my
self. that will probably go TO Waupun.